


The Haunting of Joshua Allen

by yikestozier



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Future, Anxiety, Blood, Bruises, Charlie is Supportive, Gross, Haunting, Horror, Intrusive Thoughts, Kinda, Loneliness, Mild Blood, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Nail Biting, Nostalgia, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Paranormal, Poltergeists, Psychological Horror, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Suspense, Tags Contain Spoilers, Violence, a bit of this is based off of personal experience, but best way i can put it, in a bad way, no i'm not fine thank you, not much, not too graphic, schlatt is a speech master, sometimes, sometimes my writing gets a bit gross sorry, things are prone to change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25953424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikestozier/pseuds/yikestozier
Summary: Joshua Allen had never believed in the paranormal. He never had any experiences with it to make him believe it and he was a man of facts and logic. Once he had turned 22 and finished college, he thought the next natural step would be to get a house. And since he had no reason to believe in the paranormal, he looked for normal things and took normal precautions. Normal things. Josh had no reason to check if the people who had lived there prior moved because of strange noises or cold spots or perhaps even full-body apparitions. And so, once finding the perfect house (and getting his mother’s opinion), he was giving the owner the money and moving in in the next week. Looking back on it now, it all moved a bit quick, which should have been a red flag, but he knew no better and so he moved in. And only after a few short weeks, he was thrust into a situation he’d never be prepared for, forcing him to call up an old friend…
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> let me know if you think this goes too far and i will see about changing it!! this is just for fun and shit i don't mean to hurt anyone, no one dies or anything. i do recommend reading before commenting however and after if you still have problems please do let me know! ive been working on this for about 2 months now (it's literally my baby) so i'm already a few chapters in but will update tags with every upload and am only posting the first chapter now since it's josh’s birthday! that being said… welcome to the haunting of joshua allen or as i like to call it: thoja! (ps. this is looking to be Very long . i am sorry .)

Joshua Allen had never believed in the paranormal. He never had any experiences with it to make him believe in it and he was a man of facts and logic. They had never been 100% confirmed and so he didn't even think of the paranormal unless for jokes. Once he had turned 22 and finished college, he thought the next natural step would be to get a house. And since he had no reason to believe in the paranormal, he looked for normal things and took normal precautions. 

Normal precautions such as: is it in a good neighborhood? Does it have enough space but not too much to make him feel too small and too insignificant? Did it have at least one bathroom and a big enough kitchen? Etc. Normal things. Joshua Allen had no reason to check if the people who had lived there prior moved because of strange noises or cold spots or perhaps even full-body apparitions. 

And so, once finding the perfect house, or at least as close to perfect he could find (and getting his mother’s opinion), he was giving the owner the money (making him the new owner) and moving in in the next week. Looking back on it now, it all moved a bit quick - which should have been a red flag - but he knew no better and so he moved in.

Once getting into the house and putting away necessities such as food and putting a bed in the bedroom, he instantly began to put his setup back together in what would soon be his new streaming room.

He was still a full-time streamer despite the fact that his schedule had started to slip, somehow having been better all throughout college (he still doesn’t know how he managed it), and everything was more or less the same. And he didn't know how he felt about that. He was still playing Mario 64 (while not as much) and he still acted and even looked pretty much the same. The one thing he was really missing was the friends. With most of them it's not like they broke off hating each other, more like they just began to drift away, usually due to change in career and or change of personality. Which is fine. It's called growing up, it's never personal. It happens all the time and God knows Josh has been through it numerous times in his life and will continue to do so, but he couldn't help but feel lonelier than he had in years.

Lost in his thoughts, he put his arm behind him to pick out another thing from the box to his left, no longer needing to look at it due to knowing it's exact location… or so he thought as - instead of an object to pull out or cardboard from the bottom of the box, Josh felt his hand come into contact with the cold hard floor. His head instantly turned to where his hand was. _Strange._ Then, looking a bit to his right, there was the box, moved in what appeared to be a perfect parallel from where it once was. 

Before he could let his brain get the best of him, he reminded himself that it had been a long day. He had probably miscalculated where his hand was going or at some point accidentally hit the box causing it to move without him noticing. And so, he moved the box back. He pulled out what he needed and looked forward once more to put it where it needed to be. And that was it. A short break in the moment. In fact, he didn't even think of it again until he was in his bathroom, getting ready for bed by brushing his teeth. It didn't feel like he was thinking for long - just a short thought about how his brain was still a bit caught up on the box but shouldn’t be - but once he pulled himself out of his thoughts, and so pulled his toothbrush from his mouth, he felt as his body recoiled slightly in surprised shock as he looked down at his bloody toothbrush. That hadn’t happened since he was a kid but it wasn't necessarily weird. And so he washed his mouth and toothbrush and went to his room.

Tucking himself into bed that night, he distantly thought about how some people would see that as a bad omen or something since it was a new house. As he closed his eyes, finally comfortable under an extra blanket, he attempted to ignore the sudden chill in the room as he finally drifted to sleep.

The next morning he couldn't remember his dream, but that was fine - normal even - what threw him off is just that he _knew_ it was bad, leaving him feeling off even long after he had woke up. 

But despite all of this, Josh forced himself to forget about it. He finally moved out of his mom’s house! He should be celebrating! One nightmare or one misplaced box shouldn’t put him on edge. He should be celebrating. ~~He should have people to celebrate with.~~

He shook his head as he slid into his chair. He didn't need people to celebrate with, he could celebrate with chat. And so he switched from the “stream starting soon” screen to his facecam as he smiled, watching chat go crazy from not seeing him in a bit.

“Hey guys! As many of you know, I was moving, so, sorry about no streams for a bit.”

He giggled as he watched how quick chat went with “no worries” “glad to see you again’ and whatnot. It was nice. It made him feel less alone, if just for two to three hours. He felt himself smile as he kept reading chat, skipping the weird and annoying ones, eventually snapping out of the trance he was in to speak to chat once more.

“So, what game do you guys wanna play today?”

Sometimes, when he got caught on what he said in streams, what he said was weird. How he spoke to people he didn't know as if they were his best friend in the same room as him. He tries not to let himself get caught up on it. Choosing to focus on chat instead.

“Runs? Yeah, we can do some runs.” he said, already reaching for the Mario 64 cartridge. 

He had just finished setting everything up when he heard a noise, throwing him off just slightly. It was just the house settling, he told himself. He had bought a pretty old house, nothing to worry about. He told that to chat as well as they had seemingly heard the noise as well despite sounding from a relatively far away room. And with that, he forgot all about it and continued with his stream.

The stream continued on as normal - chat seemed to be having a great time and, if he was being honest, Josh was enjoying himself as well, or at least it was a good distraction from his impending loneliness. It was probably one of his best streams in a long time even despite knowing Mario 64 like the back of his hand at this point. Everything was going great. That is, until an hour in. When his 100k subscriber’s plaque fell off the wall. The floor being hardwood, it made an incredibly loud noise, making Josh jump out of his chair and his headphones fall off as well. The run, and even chat, were forgotten as he went to where the play button had fell. It was way too heavy to be nothing and even his skeptical brain knew that. He left the play button on the floor and went back to his desk, telling chat that something had fell off his wall but it was nothing. 

Still, though, long after what happened he couldn't get his mind off of the occurrence despite trying to tell himself there was probably a logical explanation, causing him to end his stream early. He didn't leave his desk, however, swiveling around in his chair to look at the plaque still on his floor. And that's all he did for what felt like forever. Until suddenly he felt a metallic liquid fill his mouth. He realized late what he was doing, it not really registering in his brain as he slowly pulled his fingers from his mouth to see blood. He was biting his nails again for the first time since he was a child as if he had never stopped the nasty habit. It is commonly a stress reliever, however, so it made sense. He was stressed, it made sense. It _is_ a stress reliever. And without further thought, he put his bloody finger back in his mouth, biting despite the pain and the taste. 

After a while, he got used to it as he did as a kid. In a way, he liked it even. He tried to ignore his mother’s voice in his head telling him about how it's bad for his teeth and if he kept biting them they would stop growing back. He ignored it. He knew it was true, but he ignored it. Choosing instead to get up and walk to his bedroom, climbing under the covers without changing into his pajamas, and going to bed. He could worry about everything - or rather ignore everything further - in the morning. 

He woke up the next morning and immediately put his sheets in the washer to get rid of the blood despite not being very much. He couldn't bear to look at it and be reminded of what happened the day before, no matter how the little amount and nothing really happening. It was the implication. He then went to his bathroom to wash the dried blood from his fingers as well, seeing he had bit holes into his nails, just shy from the skin beneath. This was a good sign, this means they could still grow back once he got out of this rut once more. He celebrated by letting himself ignore what happened the day prior. And nothing really noteworthy happened again.

That is, until specifically two and a half weeks later. 


	2. Chapter 2

It had been so long, Josh had completely forgotten about everything that had happened at that point. While he would be distantly reminded every time he'd have to pause the stream just to bite into his nails and when he saw people talking about his house being haunted when he went through twitter indirect’s, he chose not to really think about it and therefore the fact that anything had even really happened had almost completely left his mind except in nightmares he knew something was wrong in but forgot as soon as he woke up. 

There were also times when things he couldn't  _ technically  _ explain - but they weren’t so crazy he thought much of it - would happen. Such as randomly having the urge to look up from whatever he was looking at to look at a specific part of the room; like something was watching him and he knew exactly where the eyes were to make eye contact. Or, how he would think he saw something in the reflection in his phone, only when he looks up to look at whatever he was thinking he was seeing, there was always nothing. 

One night he had just one thought of something - someone - being in his closet and after trying (and failing) he eventually sighed in defeat, turning on his light. Only then was he able to sleep. He hadn’t done it since he was a child, scared of what couldn't be, but he quickly fell back into the habit. Effortlessly. He tried not to think about it, but it was easier then he had expected. He found if you just turned and hid under the blankets enough, you’d get enough darkness for your anxious body to get so damn sleep. It was a small price for sleep. The alternative was listening and getting paranoid over every small noise as he either stares at his dark celling or hid under his blankets - trying to will himself to sleep - like a child. It got worse though; slowly but surely.  _ Like falling asleep; slow then all at once _ . 

Another night, he was looking for something. It was small and he couldn't find it anywhere. He hadn’t kept up with picking up with himself too much these days so he knew he must have put it on the floor or it fell or  _ something.  _ It had to be under the bed. And he was just about to start pulling up the bed skirt when - briefly - his brain gave the sudden thought of something actually being down there, and not just what he was looking for. He doesn’t even remember what he was looking for anymore; it was so small and insignificant. He hadn’t thought like that in years. 

Before he could let himself think any longer, he pulled up the bed skirt - trying to ignore how his body instantly flinched just slightly - and there it was. What he was looking for. He grabbed it quickly, instantly jumping back onto his bed as soon as the object was in his hand.

That night, when going to bed, he tucked his blankets under his feet despite the heat.

And that was just how life was for a while; never quite feeling good in the new house but never really having a reason (or at least a justifiable reason) to leave or anything. Everything was just…  _ weird _ ; off. Still, he kept quiet. It was  _ probably _ nothing. However, as time went on, Josh found himself more and more frequently considering if it was actually  _ something _ . And that was before the incident that caused him to actually look into getting help.

Up until that moment, however, it was really just a feeling. A few things completely out of where they’re supposed to be were fine. Not great, but fine. Hearing random thuds and seeing things previously on shelves on the floor was fine; he told himself they probably just fell naturally. 

But then he began seeing things. Would think he would see people walking in his house, but when he looked again there was no one; would hear footsteps in the hall outside his bedroom door as he attempted to sleep. At first, he naturally assumed he was losing his mind, and people in chat when he streamed (getting sparser in between) began to take notice. People took notice that he was noticeably more jumpy and just  _ off _ ; his brain was somewhere else. He ignored it and went on with his life until - eventually - deciding to go on a break. As his intrusive thoughts became worse and worse and more frequent so did whatever was happening. What pushed him to actually start believing his eyes and look into his problem was seeing it for himself. All it took was seeing a book go from briefly floating to being tossed against a wall softly. 

That night he couldn't sleep; he was too concerned about and for everything. So (naturally) he began to look into whatever was happening. First: “the difference between ghosts, demons, and poltergeists” to which he deduced he had a poltergeist due to just how it acted and how Josh was in the biggest rut of his life (so far). Then, he googled “how to get rid of a poltergeist”. Again, naturally. To his surprise, the first video recommended on this subject was by an all too familiar face.  _ Carson King _ . He instantly clicked on the video, anxiously waiting for it to load as he did so. 

Once the video finally loaded Josh noticed just how little the other changed. He hardly registered the other explaining that since everyone wanted it and he didn't want to waste his independent studies, he would do a few videos on the paranormal. Once he got over the general shock of who was teaching such a thing, however, Josh listened intently, even taking notes as the video went on. By the end, however, he realized he didn't really have any clue about anything on this subject. Even his notes hardly made sense. But, soon after, realized he could just call the other. 

He typed the number in. He looked at it. He didn't hit call. And then he attempted to get some sleep. He failed due to the chill in the room and the feeling of being watched. But, eventually, he found he just woke up the next day, having fallen asleep somehow at some point.


	3. Chapter 3

The morning had started relatively normal for the all-new predicament he found himself in; he woke up, scrolled through twitter and, eventually, finally forced himself out of bed to get breakfast. He had just started to really wake up when he began to walk to his living room. He stopped once reaching it, however. Something felt wrong but he couldn't place his finger on it. He decided it was too early for this, though, and continued through his house. 

As he continued his descent through his house, the feeling worsened, however, making him slow to a stop and look round the room. Then, he heard the noise of steel from the room he had just come from, causing him to turn completely and face the kitchen. The thought that this ghost is getting real fucking brave was the only thing he could think as a knife from the kitchen was being flung towards him by seemingly nothing. The knife only grazed his cheek, but it was enough to send him flying for the closest room: the coat closet. 

Slamming the door behind him, he slid down to the floor. He was all too aware of the darkness in the room, sure that if he didn't turn on a light the darkness would eat him. But he didn't move. He instantly pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the ‘call’ button, but he didn't know who he would call- who he  _ could _ call. The ghostbusters weren’t real and he couldn't call the police. Then, it hit him;  _ Carson _ .

He stared at his phone a bit longer then, until finally deciding  _ fuck it,  _ as he heard  _ something  _ fling against the closet door. 

He punched in the number quickly - hoping the number was still Carson's. The vague thought that he was having a panic attack flashed in his mind briefly, but then it was gone. Once the number was completely typed in, Josh looked at it; just simply stared at it for a moment. Then a moment longer, and a moment longer again. 

Before he could think about it longer - before he could back out again - he hit call, knowing he couldn't take it back once he just pushed himself to push it. He'd figure out how to go from there he just  _ had to push it. _ So he did. The ringing hurt his ears for a moment but - eventually - it stopped. 

“Hello, this is Carson.”

God, he was going to regret this so much.

“Yeah, hey, it's Josh. It's been a bit huh?” he chuckled, but it was half-hearted.

He could just barely hear Carson gasp, but he could nonetheless. It made him feel a bit weird and realize it really  _ had _ been quite some time which made him feel even weirder. It wasn't the worst weird he had ever felt, however. So he continued to talk, deciding it would be best to just get right to the point.

“So, uh, you studied the paranormal and everything, right?”

He heard Carson shift just slightly, “Uh, yeah? Why?” was all he said and, well, Josh had always been quite blunt in his existence; “I think I have a poltergeist and I didn't know who else to call for help.”

“ _ Oh _ .”

As the nerves began to slowly dissolve the longer the conversation went on, Josh could feel the growing sting on his cheek. Putting his finger up to it, his finger came away with a bit of blood.

“Is that a “sure” oh or a “hell no” oh?” he giggled nervously. This was the first time he had spoken to Carson in so long and this was how the conversion was going. That thought alone made him want to hang up then and there.

“Yeah, of course, I’ll help ya out, man! It's been too long, I’d love to see you again! Besides this would give me a reason for taking all those classes when I wasn't even technically going to school!”

Josh felt himself let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Before he could respond Carson was talking again, he really hadn’t changed much, had he?

“Mind if I invite a few friends? Just for production, ya know we could get a few of the boys back together and stream it. It will be like a reunion and we'd get a lot of good content.”

Josh thought that over a bit, he wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea depending on who…

“This sounds like a shitty horror movie, Carson.”

“And if it is then I’ll try to make sure we don't die!”

Josh sighed and paused for just a moment. A long enough pause for Carson to speak again.

More serious now, “You called me, Josh.”

Another moment longer and finally… Josh came up with an answer. “Who are you thinking, then?”

The other took a moment to think. “Charlie, Ted, and Schlatt I think? Charlie’s good with sound, Ted’s good with a camera, and Schlatt could be general help.”

He hadn’t seen anyone Carson had mentioned in what felt like years and what probably was. And then, it hit him who he had mentioned. Of course. He wanted to say anyone but Schlatt - beg even - but all he could manage was “Why Schlatt?”

“If we're getting back together Schlatt would  _ definitely _ like to see you.”

Josh would be lying if he said he would be excited per se to see him again, having the last time they really talked not ending all that pleasant. But he bit his tongue, as it felt he did his whole life. He just hoped this time something good could come from it or at least nothing bad. He made a mental note to keep faith.

“Sure, why not.”

“Great, can't wait to see you again, man, see ya tomorrow!”

Josh winced. He was still as loud and crazy as ever wasn't he? But that was always what attracted Josh to Carson, wasn't it? Or, at least it used to.

“Bye.”

And with that, Josh finally opened the closet door, deeming the area safe for now after not hearing anything in some time. He then rushed to his room - ignoring the mess his living room now was - and got into bed, already fatigued from the small amount that had already happened despite just waking up an hour or two ago. Once sending a text to Carson of his new address, Josh then tried to get as much sleep as possible before he was forced to take action on a situation he'd never be able to handle. Before drifting to sleep he was distantly reminded of his still bleeding cheek, but he ignored it, slipping into a - thankfully - dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Josh actually woke up early for the first time in a very long time. This would be a good thing - and it was - but after reading up on what he thought he was dealing with it was almost like the thing was charging up just as he was and or perhaps challenging him. It left a bad taste in his mouth, so he brushed his teeth, cleaning the slight cut on his cheek while he was at it. It was barely noticeable. 

Once eating, getting dressed, and cleaning up the various things skewed around his living room from the day before, there was a knock on his door. Perfect timing for the first time in Carson’s life. 

Walking to the door and unlocking it, hand still on the knob but not turning, he let out a nervous breath. Was he ready for this? Would he rather die to a paranormal entity than go through this? Last-minute, before he could lock the door one last time and never open it again, he opened the door.

And when he did he was instantly hit with smiles from familiar faces that had hardly changed after all these years and he’d never felt so at peace as Carson instantly brought him into a hug. In that instance, Josh was so, incredibly, happy he opened the door.

“Josh! It's been too long, man!”

He smiled at the other, nodding when he pulled away, agreeing that - yes - it really  _ had _ been  _ too long _ . 

Once letting Carson in, in came Charlie, running past Ted to be the second to hug Josh, almost toppling him over but making him laugh nonetheless as he ranted about always wanting to call, to keep in touch, but it just never happened. Josh assured him it was okay, that they were talking now and that's what mattered, and then sent him inside as well. 

Ted also hugged him but it was a lot shorter than the others and had a lot less talking besides “I missed you” but that didn't make it less important to Josh, in fact, it was very Ted and made it more genuine and therefore made it more meaningful to him.

Lastly at the door was Schlatt.

He smiled that half-smile at him, just a bit awkwardly, “Heya, bud. Been a bit, huh?”

Josh nodded and that was it. He moved to let the man in. And that was it.

Once everyone was inside, Josh closed the door with a sigh - clicking the lock into place while he was at it - and so began the “investigation” he supposed. 

He led them to the living room first, Schlatt and Ted already taking a seat on the couch, as they sat their equipment down. It was a lot more than he expected.

“So, what does all this do?”

Carson turned to him, grinning ear to ear - obviously excited to finally talk about a hobby of his - as he clapped his hands together. “Why, I'm glad you asked, Joshua.”. Going from left to right, he listed off everything.

“We’ve got: motion detectors, heat detectors, an extra camera, flashlights, walkie talkies - just in case, security cameras (used for going full paranormal activity),” Josh didn't necessarily know what that bit meant, but he assumed he would find out soon enough, “a few audio recorders, a few emf gauges, and a thermal camera. Of course we're not guaranteed to use everything but it's here just in case.”

_ Wow _ . 

“You guys are really taking this serious, huh?” he chuckled nervously. _What if it was actually nothing?_

Carson laughed, as he sat down… something, turning to Josh, putting an arm around his shoulder as if they still talked every day like they used to.

“Yeah man! Of course! You think you have a poltergeist we're gonna help bust that ghost.” he turned to look him in the eyes, his hand still barely on Josh’s left shoulder, getting more serious; “We still care about you, believe it or not. Even if we don't really talk anymore.”

At that, he remembered when he and Carson had first started talking. How he had drawn so much of the other having been a pretty big fan of the guy even in the very beginning, and when Carson said he was doing a fanart competition of course he entered. He didn't win. But he won something more. Carson recognized his art and remembered him and, one Minecraft server invitation later, they were talking - what felt like - every day. As he felt Carson’s hand slip off his shoulder he remembered briefly a promise he hadn’t thought of in years. Josh had never been a very confident person, and at one point he just needed reassurance. 

“We’ll always be friends, right? Or at least promise to be on good terms?”

Carson looked at him, that same smile he could never forget if he wanted that he always had on his face, “Yeah man. Of course. Promise.”

And, just like that, it left his mind as Schlatt stood, Ted following shortly after. 

“Gonna give us a tour? We kinda gotta know what we're workin’ with here.”

Carson rolled his eyes, “‘We're?” shut up goat-man you're just here for general help!” he laughed.

“Yeah yeah yeah, let's get this goin’ yeah?”

And with that Josh was showing them around, the upstairs first. In between jokes and setting up equipment, Josh managed to get Carson alone in the guest bedroom so he could answer a few questions he had.

“I'm surprised you didn't want to bring Cooper, was kinda actually hopein’ to see the guy.”

“Believe me I did try, and - for the record - he did want to see you too, just said he wouldn’t be good at this shit. We should go see him after this shit is all over.”  
He nodded. He was sure Carson was done and was opening his mouth to list a few questions and concerns he had when Carson started up again, proving that not everything changes even after so many years (and while that may be seen as an annoying trait, Josh found it comforting; not everything was so different he couldn't fit in again).

“ _ Everyone  _ misses you, ya know?”

He stopped.  _ Everyone _ ?

“Everyone?”

Carson sighed, standing up from his position on the floor as he set up some heat thing that Josh knew nothing about, looking him in the eyes.

“Everyone, Josh. Even Wilbur, even after you shat on his fanbase so often.”

He looked away. Yeah, he did feel a bit bad about that still to this day, but he promises he did have his reasons.

“Can I ask you a question before you ask yours?” he didn't know how the other knew he had questions, probably a mix of him having known Josh for so long and just how he walked up in the first place, but - nonetheless - he answered: “Sure.”

“Why?” his mouth remained open after the word left his mouth, as he was going to say more. He opted against it, just closing his mouth, waiting for an answer.

Why. He didn't really know. He also didn't realize until that point, but that was the worst question ever _.  _ He thought about it for a just too long moment and - just as he was about to answer that he just didn't know - or at least couldn't remember - they heard a crash. They looked at each other and, without another second to lose, they were running to where the sound was coming from. 

As they ran to where they assumed the noise came from - the top of the stairs - all that Josh could think was “ _ this early?” _ . The feeling in his gut told him that this wouldn’t go well but he didn't think anyone would get hurt, and definitely not get hurt this soon. Their running came to a stop as they found the cause of the noise. The noise, which had come from a shaken Charlie, had just been a particularly big flashlight but even if it was something more important, Josh was sure everyone would still be more concerned with Charlie who (funnily enough) seemed like he had just seen a ghost. Carson had just got out asking what had happened when Schlatt and Ted came running in as well.

“Well? What happened, are you okay?” Schlatt asked, grabbing the person in question’s arm to get a good look at him. He didn't seem to have any physical injuries which was a great sign already. “Nothing. Just thought I saw something in my glasses. I'm fine, sorry.” that, however, was not as good as a sign. And looking over to Carson, Josh knew he knew this as well. Josh felt the room temperature drop. Eventually, Carson spoke, breaking the silence. 

“Well, I suppose we should go start the stream yeah?”

Everyone nodded and, despite the chills, Josh felt a soft “yeah” fall from his mouth. And with that, they were on their way. Halfway down the stairs, he looked to make sure the others were following, seeing that Ted had wrapped his arm around Charlie which he was thankful for. Charlie didn't seem like the best for this, not that he was weak or that  _ any  _ of them were the best for this - in fact, Charlie was definitely the strongest at least physically of them all - but he had gotten shaken up so easily. But then Josh reminded himself about how Charlie is. He doesn’t know what the other saw and he most likely downplayed whatever happened to not worry anyone. He stopped thinking about it once they reached the living room, Ted picking up a camera. 

As Charlie pulled himself together and began to get things good for the stream, Josh felt a slight anxiety pool in the bottom of his stomach. He hadn’t streamed in a while and this was so out of his comfort zone. But then again, he supposed all of this was out of his comfort zone, it was for all of them. And that revelation unsurprisingly didn’t really make him feel all that better. But it didn't really matter in the end, he decided, as he watched as Ted gave Carson a thumbs up as Charlie switched from the “stream starting soon” screen to the actual camera, showing they were ready to start. 

Carson said hello, explained what the next few streams or so would be about and why, introduced the crew, and they were on their way to give the viewers a tour of the house and tell them what everything does as well, making small talk between themselves and chat respectively, Schlatt reading out chat as they moved around the house on an IPad. 

Everything went fine, a bit boring, but fine nonetheless; nothing really happening as of yet. That is, until Schlatt read out something that made everyone stop halfway up the stairs to show everyone the second floor. 

“I totally just saw something move behind Schlatt?” his voice shaking just slightly as he read it out. They looked behind him, Ted even pointing the camera to see if chat still saw anything. But no one saw anything and chat didn't say anything and even Carson's motion detectors didn't beep. And so they continued walking up the stairs. Until Schlatt fell over seemingly nothing.

Charlie, being the closest, instantly wrapped an arm around the other to ensure he didn't fall down the stairs on top of falling face-first onto the hardwood. Once getting onto the top of the stairs, Schlatt’s nose started to bleed and already began to bruise at the bridge where he had hit the edge of the step. With the one-off of Carson saying to the camera “maybe don't watch this if you're triggered by or just don't like blood” Josh was running to the bathroom on the second floor, quickly mentioning he has a first-aid kit in said bathroom. 

Once quickly finding the first aid kit in the medicine cabinet, he ran back, seeing Ted and Charlie gathered around the slightly bloody and bruised Schlatt as he held his nose despite saying he was fine - Carson taking over holding the camera for the time being, reading out that chat was for sure that the ghost had tripped him, yet Schlatt remained just a bit skeptical. 

Moving Charlie out of the way, Josh slid to Schlatt’s side to treat his nose having been easily prone to nosebleeds as a child and therefore at least somewhat knew what he was doing as Carson told chat that poltergeists and ghosts are different. Josh hadn’t even noticed his racing heart until Schlatt told him to calm down. 

“Dude, I’m okay, calm down.” he said, putting a hand on the arm that wasn't trying to soak up the blood with tissues, which he had put on the other side of his face to turn it to him, calming him down enough to stop shaking almost automatically. He then continued to clean the others wound, saying that he was sure it wasn't broken - just bruised - and most likely didn't have a concussion (but to let him know if he started feeling dizzy, nauseous, etc.) as he put a bandage over the bridge, helping Schlatt to his feet as stood himself. He saw Ted take the camera back from Carson as Charlie stood as well; Schlatt then looked into the camera to assure the fans - and himself if he was completely honest - that he was indeed okay. With that, they continued on with the tour, everything moving smoothly once more. 

Nothing happened for the rest of the tour, moving back to the living room after finishing it.

No one else noticed, but as Josh looked back as they went down the stairs, he noticed Schlatt holding onto the banister tightly and looking at his feet as he went down slowly. But he doesn’t mention it. 

Once reaching the living room, Ted put the camera on a tripod and Carson took place in front of it. 

“So, naturally, we're gonna go all paranormal activity on this shit as it's getting late. You don't have to keep watching the shitty night vision squares if you don't want to, all of this will probably be turned into a video if anything were to happen and we’ll go over the footage in the morning, so don't be mad if you miss anything!” he smiled. A bit more small talk and jokes later and everyone is going off to their respectful guest rooms - Josh sending Schlatt off with an icepack - the stream still ongoing as they fell asleep. 

An hour went by, Josh on Twitter instead of sleeping. Saying “I know Carson was serious about “going full paranormal activity” but the cameras in the room are a bit much” to no one in particular or, he supposes, to the camera. After a minute, however, he put his phone down - right next to his pillow - attempting to get some sleep before the next day of whatever Carson had planned. And, finally, he did. 


	5. Chapter 5

Josh woke up the next morning, surprised that he had actually slept well for the first night in quite a while. He didn't really know why, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it were for the other people staying in the house. He wondered if perhaps this was something his mind had created to get friends again as he looked for his phone, it not being in the same place as he had left it. As he found it on the other side of the room, it was almost as if he had answered his own worries; this thing - whatever it was - is  _ definitely _ happening. But he couldn't do anything about it alone, and so he went downstairs, having good reason to believe everyone to be in the kitchen. 

As he came across the kitchen, he found everyone, just as he suspected. You can never really forget someone after knowing them for so long he supposed, taking a seat at the island with everyone else besides Charlie, who was making what smelled like french toast. 

“Is that for everyone or will I have to make my own food?” Josh said once getting fully seated, to which Charlie chucked. 

“No, I got you, dude, don't worry about it!” making Josh smile. He had always loved Charlie’s energy - as well as Teds - and how he was almost always happy and trying to keep spirits up. Maybe that was the real reason he was invited, he thought briefly, but the thought quickly left his brain as a plate of french toast was placed in front of him. 

“I missed this, man. Going places with everyone, Charlie or Teds cooking in the morning, and all that… thank you by the way,” he said to Charlie before he could forget, “you were always the best cook.”

“Hey, um, what the fuck?” Ted said, before Charlie could respond, in mock anger. “You mention me as cooking as well but call  _ him  _ the best cook?!” he said, pointing at Charlie, causing everyone to giggle, Charlie making everyone laugh more when he instantly shot back with “Shut up and let me have this!”

And with that, everyone started eating, falling into a comfortable silence in between talking about that day’s plans, jokes and showing everyone something funny on Twitter, until - finally - everyone was finished, going into the living room as soon as everyone had finished; Carson stepping in front of the camera - Ted stepping behind it and Charlie looking at the monitor on the table to make sure everything was going good - as if it was all they were made to do.

“Goodmorning chat!” he smiled, perhaps a bit too energetic as he explained the plan for the day, Josh taking the time as he did so to notice Schlatt’s nose.

Sitting on the couch next to him, he asked if he could take a look at it. He was glad he woke up which meant he didn't have a concussion, but he didn't mention that part as Schlatt allowed his face to be placed in Josh’s hands. And so, Josh carefully takes off the bandage to look at the wound. It was bruised and still had some dried blood around it - signifying the wound still being quite open, but didn't seem broken and still had great promise to heal just fine from a first look as long as the other took care of it. But, just to be sure it wasn't broken, he pressed down on some parts after telling Schlatt to tell him if it hurt. To which he did, it naturally hurting mainly just in the center of the main bruise, so Josh deemed him okay. He was just about to tell him so, just that he would need to take care of it, when he just barely overheard Carson switch tone.

“Get those two! Yet they acted so standoffish when we first got here.” he scoffed as Ted turned the camera to Josh with Schlatt’s head in his hand, he just missed a soft Charlie saying: “I think it's cute, but we should stay out of their business.” obviously trying to keep out of it and not fuel the fans any more than Carson already was, which Josh and Schlatt would have been thankful for. Schlatt naturally flipped Carson and Ted off as Carson talked about shipping them, but didn't move his head from the other's hands, Josh and him happening to say “fuck off” at the same time to everyone’s amusement. And for a while they were all friends again - as if they never stopped - even him and Schlatt, Josh thought, turning his smile from the others to the other in question, seeing him smile back. Despite the circumstances, Josh was glad he had a reason to get this group - if not everyone - back together again.

Carson turned back to the camera after a bit more joking as Josh put a new bandage on Schlatt’s nose, instantly remembering why he and Schlatt weren’t on good terms at the silence. He tried not to show it. He knew that Schlatt knew though. Charlie noticed the silence and suddenly cold faces between the two previously titled “lovebirds” via Carson as well, but chose not to say anything; not now at least. Carson continued talking. 

“Anyways, first, we should probably look through the night cameras to see if it caught anything.” Carson said, more to everyone else than the viewers this time, to which everyone agreed.

Since Schlatt was given the title of general help, he was the one to control the mouse as they skimmed through the footage, Ted holding the camera on them doing so to document it. Not much was there, however, other than Josh being up that night to which everyone joked around a bit, but they kept watching anyway. In case something were to happen. Until, finally, something did (if subtle). 

A corner of Ted's room, which was strangely darker than the others though no one thought anything of it, began to  _ move _ . Schlatt paused, rewound the footage, and slowed it - just to make sure what they were seeing was  _ what they were seeing -  _ as Ted’s face paled.

The camera began to shake just slightly - barely even noticeable - as he tried to get words out. “Dude, n-no fucking way.” he huffed out a laugh but it wasn't all there. “There's gotta be some explanation for this… right?”

Schlatt shook his head softly, his hair falling into his eyes as he did so. “Not that I can see. Everyone was asleep.”

“Well… why my room!” he tried to keep his composure this time, coming off more confused than frightened but Ted had never been more terrified in his entire life and would  _ most likely _ never be more terrified. “We haven't even really done anything.”

“It was my problem but you decided to intervene, so - even if you're not really doing anything - it's gonna happen to you too.” Josh sighed, looking at the floor due to not being able to look at anyone else. 

Everything was real quiet for a second after that. Josh knew it was dumb, but he wanted to cry. He wanted to break down right that instant, everything just felt so new and overwhelming, not to mention he had accidentally put all his friends in danger! Or, once friends, he supposed. They definitely wouldn’t want to be his friend again after this (except for maybe Charlie, he was always bad at holding grudges).  _ If _ they all made it out of this fine, Josh would be right back where he started; alone. 

Just as he felt tears well up in his eyes, Josh felt someone (Schlatt) hit his arm; “hey, you're not thinking of given’ up yet are ya?”  Josh looked up, seeing Ted freeze. Ultimately shaking his head ‘no’, more confident now. “Good, Josh here needs our help and we're gonna help, right? Even if we get a bit banged up?” Schlatt pointed to his nose as he said this. Josh looked around, seeing Ted, Charlie, and Carson nodding yes, Schlatt shouting back “absolutely!”. Josh - nor the others - had ever seen Schlatt as a speech man and, honestly? Neither did he. He supposed he finally got his fire back. It was dumb but after what he had named “the one situation to never be named or talked about” he supposed he wanted to get Josh back. The _situation_ was inevitable - obviously coming and arguably unavoidable - and he had come to terms with that. He assumed he would never see Josh again other than on his screen so he had to. This, however, was never planned. Anything could happen. And he wanted to help Josh and made things right to hopefully get out with Josh still in his life once more.

And, with that, he turned to Carson with a smile of what could come (if he just doesn’t fuck this up  _ again _ ); “So, what’s next for today’s ghost-hunting Cars son?” making the other in question smile as well.

If they had kept watching, they would have seen Josh’s phone levitate to the other side of the room by seemingly nothing. But they didn’t. So they didn't. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda feel like this chapter gives too much away for what I have planned but idkkkkk whatever also I'm only half way thru chapter 6 so my backlog of chapters is pretty much done so uploads might take a bit longer now sorry


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